APPENDIX
A. TEXTS
Three folk talcs in Sema are given below. Of these, the first
two are presented wiih morph by morph analysis. And the last
one has only the translation. The titles of the stories are : (1)
The story of Nisapaand Nisala(alovestory); (2) The story of the
squirrel and the pheasant; and (3) the story of Licapa.
A.l TEXT
nisapa eno nisala kinia Yili
Nisiqm and Nisala dnal story
The story of Nisapa and Nisala
khaijilo nisapi eno nisala kima kimaye-
long ago Nisapa and Nisala dual love.
Long ago Nisapa and Nisala loved each other.
kile-ace k+ma atna sini-kfe
return-make dual life partner
They decided to become lift
genuno pulo — wfe
for agree — past
partners.
Pu — aza-no
father — mother — nominative
Nisa€a's parents were unwilling to let Nisala go to
nisapa — ki-lo pu — wu nis4 — mo — no
Nisapa -house-in let go wiiling-not-nomina-
Nisapa's-housc * tive
decide-
—past
ace «
ikemu nisala
make .
but Nisala
But
nisala
pestno
Nisala
let
ace . tiyinuno nisapi
make . so Nisapa
So (they) said like this to Nisapa
187
wilo
near
hi-tdy
tbis^ttke
188
11 pi .
"nisapa.
no-no kucrfnb
this say .
Nisapa,
you-nominative really
"Nisapa,
if you really
nisala
luni-si
aye suna-ye timi-no
Nisala
want-do
if goJd-focus marker
man-nominative
want to do
(marry)
bring to our home
itha
ce-mo-ke
pesino ni-kVlo
use
habitual-n<
5g-past buying I-house-in
the gold that was not used by any maa.
siyi-lo pi . ike nisapa-no suna
bring-imp say . thus Nisapa-nominativegold
Thus Nisapa, for giving
ci-Y* nisala-pu-aza ktma ci-we
give-come Nisala -father-mother dual give-past
gold, came to Nisala's parent's house and gave (the gold).
ikemu kila-kipu Yolokilo
but wed-wait during
But when the bridegroom waited
alhok+thrt nisala-pu-aza k+ma-no
always Nisala-father-mother dual-nominative
(for Nisala), Nisala's parents always used to say that
nisala -ye si-am
pi-ce-y. asakharlo
Nisala-focus nuirker sick-is
say-habitual-past, last-in
she was sick.
At last^
nisapa-no akha-ce mla pesino yivtno
Nisapa-nominative bambo tesket-make work buying coming
buying a bambo basket^ came and carried away
189
nisala . xapu ti-we fdsapa eno nisala
Nisala • carry go-past Nisapa and Nisala
Nisala. Thereafter
ktma-ye alokotono si-xi ace u-we
dual— focus joy fully do— live make go-^past
Nisapa and Nisala lived happily.
A. 2 TEXT
akili-HM> arl kima Till
sqairrel - and phesant dual story
The story of the Squinel and the phesant
khaiilo, akili— no art kiraa asow
long ago, squirrel-and phesant dual deep friend
Long ago, a squirrel and a phesant made intimate
si— «ice. kini— no tHo laktfi — lo timi
do — make. two-nominative day one-in man
friendship. The two visited daily the traps laid by
Hot ikaw. arl— no atorl si
trap visit. phesant-nominative first do
people. The phesant would (enter)
timi licfe lono k+time— we, aye
man trap from catch— past then
the trap first and get caught. Then
akili-Hio ak4st kift
squirrel-nominative trap instrument rope
cutting with his teeth, the rope of the trap instrument,
ktthavece— no ari xa-lu-ce
cut with teeth-nominative phesant save-can-habitual
the squirrel could save the phesant.
190
ike asokha — ^lo avi — ^no akili
but last-at phesant-nominativc squirrel
But one day, the phesant caused the squirrel to go in
pe — lono sLiiri si-pe akili— no.?,
cause — from first do-cause Squirrel-nominative
first When the squirrel
timi licfe lono kitiraiye keloyo
man trap from catdi in a trap when
got caught in the trap taid by men,
avi-ye kimt si-ci mla-we
phesant-focus nothing do-give potential negative-past.
The phesant could do nothing.
eno akili-ye tile -hi
and squirrel-focus marker there-emphatic
and the squirrel ended his life there itself.
pa klht asokha-si-we
his life end-do-past.
A. 3 Licapt rili
KhaYi rothu lakhllo lica pano aphu lakhilo iztu pi ke. pano aphu
ktct kt'mci apiyi pike ktreftuno aptmukht no tinll qhu nomu
pasas^ ml pike.
tirafiuno paye acanipii kini cime akeii pama kilo uwe pike, ike
pama actnipif wilo ana, we astibo eno azi zaqhild iplpi.eno pama
ac^nipuno kvbake keu belho eno zhaqHl moi^ipi keloye panopj.
''ana asi^i eno aziri, ino pucheni. ipeno pa unh^", pa khanhM
eno pa lukobolono athikisi asi eno aziri ikhiphe pe ceno alikhiilL
sino pano k^ht cu pf.
ike thanawye pama acanipusas* atulono ilo^nono airaml luqo
akucupu klicepe pa piye pepi. pano inlzu *huno khiino lu tipanolu
191
kya? huvi nenu somhi. k^mst huno khunolu kya? tipanolu hutri
kheot somhi ktmot ipi kicece voabalo ahunilli lakhL no kicc kithi-
kha pi.
ike aneniili tipaw khunulu kya pi kelo ana aityimo pe. ''ifo ikuzo
hefiulike ipepi. tile hino licapano alu hupaw. arasii piti anise pm
peni ipipi. eno pama astnipu wilo okuzaye sohukiba xapuwo ale
silo" ipipi. ike licapano pi kew toy pamano alesi akcloye timino
pama acinipif zuku acepi.
ale siluwe kimca licapano iyino pama wilo okuzoye ah6nu xopuwo
alelo silo ipi. eno puo sikhal-u kemca licapano itrerw pama kilo
itiziye okuzu z+keweno ini alo. ikemu kiimo simowe pe. terenujio
licapano thanaw pama actnipu wilo oWzoye akuzoj^u puwo sLmono
apfii ipi. ike paraono pumlawe kewriuno aheiiuti lakhlikhiipc
alaphilo westwe keuthono akhucopu pukhawe ipi. ike licapano
tipaw peo siwelo ipi pama wilopi eno pamano tisiwe. tithe tho'-
huye ahenuti parino. niatikt ipino mtpa. iperi kemca, ahenu
ak+cdpii pittta zepi ni kathW m thisori no malhaphe. nictniTi
**ipi^* impale khawe pike, eno athino ale ciloiwe pi. ike tipathyuno
avi piti zeli pe alulo xustno alu cicii ituwe pike.
THE STORY OF LICAPA (ORIGIN OF RICE CULTIVATION)
One day Licapa visited a village and wanted to lodge with the
village chief. But he had wounds all over his body So none
of the villagers liked him and no one talked to him.
Therefore he went to a small house where two orphen sisters lived.
The two sisters had no rice or other eatables with them. But
when he visited them, they gladly received him in their house.
Then he asked the two sisters to cook curry, meat and rice and also
to prepare wine. The younger one said to him, ^we do not have
rice, meat or wine\ To this he replied that he brought them with
him. He took rice from his elbow, meat from his knee and wine
from his tigh and gave them to prepare. The three together ate
the food.
In the following morning, he took the two sisters to the outskirts
of the village and asked them whost field was that one. They
replied that was such and such a person's* field; Then that one.
They cuFsed themselves and said that field also belongs to others.
At last on the out skirts, there was a small field where only pumpkin
was sown. They replied that that field was theirs.
Thereupon he took them there and instructed as follows ^^my
sisters, you build a big barn with its posts fabricated at the end and
192
pluck all the pumpkin and carry home for putting them in the
tern". And the two sisters acted as per his instructions.
He asked them to listen to what will happen in the barn. They
did not sleep airf was observing the barn. But nothing happened
that night. Next morning licapa told that they did not bring
ail the pumpkins in the barn. Then the two sisters replied that
since they could not carry all of them one small one was thrown
away on the way side. He asked them to bring that and put in the
barn. And added if they had told the truth, something would
have happened in the previous night. That night, the pumpkin
which they put last in the barn burst out saying that 'I am attki
(a dwarf variety of rice). All the other pumpkins said their names
one by one. AH the pumpkins burst out and became rice grains
and the barn was full of rice. After that people used to sow
seeds of rice grain from that day till now. They also began to-
worship him.
CilL Grammar Series-7
^
PL
4001
|S5
iS78
*>^.
Sema
Grammar
Central Institute of Indian Languages, 1980
First Published
Marcl. 1980
Chailra 1902
M. V. SREEDHAR
Price: Rs. liO -o-
xpjtRjTTT?
CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF INDIAN LANGUAGES
MYSORE -570 006
PUBLISHED AT THE CENTRAL INSTTTUTE OF INDUN LANGUAGES,
MANASAGANGOTRI, MYSORE— 570 006 BY D. P. PATTANAYAK,
DIRBCIOR, AND PRINTED AT THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA PRESS,
NASIK-^22 006.
